Tenn. tailwaters in Corps' crosshairs

Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Today’s edition of the Fishing Wire includes a story about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers favoring the closure of tailwaters to public boat access below several dams in Tennessee, including Old Hickory Lake, Cheatham, J. Percy Priest, Cordell Hull, Center Hill and Dale Hollow.

The matter’s been an issue for the last several months and time appears to be running out for sportsmen to voice their concerns over the potential closure of some prime fishing waters.

According to the article, District Commander Lt. Col. Jim DeLapp says safety is the driving force behind the movement to restrict boat access to waters immediately below the dams. However, statistics cited in the story indicate less than 3 percent of all the deaths that have occurred on Tennessee's rivers and reservoirs over the last 50 years were below the dams. Nearly all of those were the result of failure to wear or properly inflate a life jacket as required by law.

Former Cheatham Lake resource manager Mike Patterson recently wrote an open letter on the matter, encouraging citizens and anglers alike to engage their elected officials in discussions about the proposal.